Owner of escaped lizard reclaims his pet

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The owner of an escaped lizard drove from Texas to Missouri to reclaim his pet, only to find the 4-foot crocodile monitor hissing wildly.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on the homecoming, in which Zane Donaho managed to lure the creature into a plywood box after a 10-minute struggle.

"He's scared out of his mind," Donaho said.

Donaho, 18, had not seen his lizard since June, when it escaped from his Compton Heights home. After a few neighborhood sightings, the lizard was caught by animal control on Aug. 4.

By then, however, Donaho had moved to his father's ranch in Texas.

Steve Brown of the St. Louis Herpetological Society served as a foster parent for the lizard, keeping it in a fiberglass cage in his Jefferson County home. Brown fed the lizard and kept a heat lamp in the cage.

Bradley Lawrence, reptile supervisor at the Dallas Zoo, said the crocodile monitor is the longest lizard in the world, longer even than a Komodo dragon. The crocodile monitor also has teeth and claws as sharp as razors.

Although Lawrence said they are not good pets, he also cited the very few wildlife laws in Texas.

Plans are in place to transport the lizard to Texas.